On Wednesday, an 18-year-old man identified by police as Jesse Van Rootselaar was involved in a fatal shooting in the Canadian town of Tumbler Ridge, leaving several people dead and many injured.Canadian police said the violence began at a home near the town. There, Van Rootselaar shot and killed her 39-year-old mother and 11-year-old stepbrother. After the killings, she went to Tumbler Ridge Middle School, where she opened fire at random.At the school, police found six people dead, including a teacher and five students. Dozens of others were shot and wounded and taken to hospitals. Police arrived after receiving the first report of a shooting and found Van Russelaar dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound inside the school. A total of nine people died, including the shooter, school victims and the shooter’s family.
Shooter was transgender; mother speaks out against anti-trans hate
Jesse Van Rootselaar was born a male and transitioned six years ago and identifies as female. RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dwayne McDonald confirmed this during a press conference on Wednesday, USA Today reported. In the days following the mass shooting, a past social media video of Van Ruetselaer’s mother, Jennifer Strong, went viral. In the video, Strong spoke about the harm caused by online hate and urged people to “do better” by not spreading hateful speech against transgender children. In the video, she warned that continued online hostility could cause serious harm to young people.There is no official evidence linking the video or Strong’s views to her daughter’s actions on the day of the shooting. Canadian police and other authorities are still investigating what led to the tragedy.Police also said Van Russelaar had a history of mental health-related encounters with law enforcement in the years before the shooting. Police were called to her home multiple times due to mental health-related issues, and on at least one occasion officers confiscated guns from the home and later returned them. Authorities said she acted alone. They said there was no indication she chose specific people to attack the school. Investigators have not revealed why she carried out the shooting. The cause of the attack is unclear.After the tragedy, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and other officials expressed deep condolences and national condolences. They ordered flags at federal buildings to be flown at half-staff and expressed condolences to the families of the victims while investigators continued their work.
